Buggy-top adjuster.



No. 738,706. PATBNTED SEPT. a, 1903.

I A. F. SWASIG.

BUGGY TOP ADJUSTER.

APFLIOATION FILED DEC. 27. 1902.

' H0 MODEL.

InberQfie/mw 0.. WASHINGTON n c NITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903..

ALPHEUS F. SWASIO, OF MARYSVILLE, IOWA.

.BUGGY-TOP ADJUSTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,706, dated September 8, 1903. Application filed December 27, 1902. Serial No. 13 61870. (lilo model.)

1 0. all whom it may concern:

" a citizen of the United States, residingat Marysville, in the county of Marion and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Top Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of myinvention are to provide a buggy-top adjuster of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction that may be readily, quickly, and easily applied to any ordinary folding buggy and which when applied to a buggy-top may be operated by a person occupying the buggy-seat to break the joints in the jointed braces at the sides of the buggytop, so that the buggy-top may swing rearwardly, and which may also be operated by an operator on the buggy-seat to unlock the joints after the buggy-top has been raised, to thereby firmly hold it in position, so that the operator may control the movements of a buggy-top even when the side curtains are in position on the top.

My invention consists in certain details in nation of the various parts whereby the objects contemplated are attained,as hereinaf? ter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 shows in perspective a complete buggy-top at its rearwardlimited movement and showing my attachment applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a View of the same taken from a different point, showing the buggy-top in its elevated position and the jointed braces broken, with my attachment applied thereto and shown in its elevated positionas required for breaking the joints, and also showing by dotted lines the position that the operatinglever assumes when released by the operator. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged detail perspective view illustrating the method of fastening myattachment to abuggy-seat. Fig. 4 shows in perspective a portion of the connectingrod and a portion of the operating-lever attached thereto. Fig. 5 shows in perspective one of the connecting-rod-supporting brackets. Fig. 6 shows in perspective the jointed portion of the operating-lever, the dotted lines indicating the position of the handle portion of the lever when at its opposite limit l of movement from the position shown in solid lines.

j Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference-numeral 1D to indicate the buggy-body and 11 the buggyseat. Fixed to the sides of the buggy-seat are the top-s upporting rods 12. Pivotally connected with the forward ends of the rods 12 are the buggy-top bows 13, supporting the top 14, and

pivoted to the rear end of the rods 12 arethe jointed braces 15.

All of the parts just described are of the ordinary construction now in common use and their operation is well known.

My attachment, which may be attached to any ordinary folding buggy-top, comprises two brackets 16, having angular openings 17 near their upper ends and having round open- These brack- 12by having the squared ends of said rods passed through the openings 17 and held in place by nuts 19. The brackets project clownwardly and rearwardly and serve as supports in which the connecting rod 20 is mounted, said rod passing through the openings 18 of the brackets. The ends of the rod 20 are angular at 21 and screw-threaded at 22 for purposes hereinafter made clear.

Fixed to each end of connecting-rod 20 is a lever 23, placed on the squared. portions 21 of connecting-rod 20 and held in position thereon by nuts 24 on the screw-threaded portions 22, so that the rotation of the connecting-rod 20 will move the levers 23. The upper ends of these levers are pivoted to the arms 25, which in turn are pivoted to the lower portions of the jointed braces 15.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that if the levers 23 are moved rear= wardly the joints of braces 15 will be broken,

thus permitting the top to swing rearwardly, and if the upper ends of the levers 23 are moved forwardly the joints will be locked, thereby firmly holding the top in position.

I have provided means for rocking the rod 20, as follows: Attached to rod 20 is a jointed lever comprised of body portion 26 and a handle portion 27. The body portioni'sfitted to the rod 20 and held thereon by set screw 26 at one end of the connecting-rod 20 and it normally projects forwardly therefrom.

The handle portion of the lever is substantially semicircular in shape and connected with the body portion 26 by a joint which In practical use and assuming my improvement to be applied to an ordinary buggy-top and assuming, further, that the buggy-top is in its elevated position and the jointed braces are locked, the jointed lever will be in the position shown in Fig. 3, with its free end resting on the top of the side of the buggyseat and forming an arm-rest. If the operator should desire to lower the top, he simply grasps the handle portion 27 of the lever and elevates it until the limit of movement in the lever-joint has been reached. Then a further elevation of the handle portion will rock the rod 20 and cause both of the levers 23 to break the joint in the braces. As soon as this is done the operator releases his hold on the jointed lever and the buggy-top may be swung rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. l, and in this position obviously the end of the handle portion is resting on the top of the side of the buggy-seat and is not in the road of the occupant, as would be the case if a single straight lever were used. When it is desired to elevate the buggy-top, the forward bows 13 may be grasped and the top raised in the ordinary way, and after it is raised the operator need only press downwardly upon-the central portion of the handle portion of the lever, which will have the efiect of rocking the connecting-rod 20,and thereby locking thejointed buggy-top-and the handle portion of the lever in order to both raise and lower and lock and unlock the joints.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

The combination with a buggy-seat, of rods supported on the sides of the seat, of a folding buggy-top, comprising bows and jointed braces and a cover, the bows being pivoted to j the forward ends of said rods and the jointed braces pivoted to the rear end of said rods, brackets fixed to the rear ends of the rods, a rocking conne'ctingrod mounted in said brackets, levers fixed to the ends of the connecting-rod and pivoted to the jointed braces and a jointed operating-lever, comprising a 1 part 26 fixed to one end of the connecting-rod outside of the buggy-seat, and a semicircular handle portion'27 havin'g'limited pivotal connection with the body portion 26 arranged with its free end normally resting on top of the side of the buggy-seat, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

ALPHEUS F. SWASIC. 

